You can’t go backwards in life – Jordan Peterson
Upwards!
Let’s agree, upwards is harder than backwards. Drifting back takes no effort or energy; it simply requires doing nothing. Leadership expert John Maxwell talks about the beauty of raising the bar when he says, “This (exceeding expectations) opened doors for me.” He then continued by giving an added insight, “But I knew that an open door can close quickly if you don’t continue trying to exceed expectations, so I made it a continual goal, and it has become a lifestyle within me.” Raising the bar will put you in a proactive position. You will function at an altitude where competition and comparison hold no weight. First, we must start with our hills.
Internal Hills
Most of the hills we have to overcome are within us. Sometimes, our emotions diverge from our intention to do what is wise. Relationships and finances are two areas where our emotions often cast a dark shadow. Do your emotions dictate your behavior in your relationships and financial decisions? When this occurs, our thoughts are sabotaged as our emotions take over and hold us hostage. Thus, our progress is stunted. Our emotions can keep us locked in a vicious cycle of destructive habits, and we cannot find the right combination of thoughts to break out of it. Our low emotional state makes us bottom feeders in the sea of life. We remain campers as our future rests on a precarious ledge. If most of our relational and financial behavior is predicated on how we feel, not just what we know, how do we align our thinking and feelings to create a better choice? Start by asking, Why am I feeling this way? This pause-to-ask approach can save you from dispersing negativity into your relationships or ruining your financial plan. Then ask, if what I feel is real, what thoughts do I need to inject to change this feeling? Conclude with this final question: What is the wise choice with this new way of thinking and feeling in this situation? What hill are you facing in this season of life? As wisdom takes the driver’s seat, your low emotional state loses its controlling edge. As you practice this, you will keep climbing on days you feel like camping.
External Hills
Another hill to overcome is the environment we grew up in. Unknowingly, this hill has a strong pull on our present and future. If, for example, you grew up in a home where excuses were repeatedly made, you will likely discover the same modus operandi when you face challenges. Or, if alcohol was how problems and sorrows were drowned, you will be more apt to reach for the same when the waters of life get choppy. At times, our emotional state is a product of our environment. Suppose anger and yelling were how you were conditioned to communicate; more than likely, you will become a repeat offender in your current relationships. Many of us are miles and years away from where we grew up, yet we are tied to patterns of living engraved into our minds and hearts by those formative years. How do we take this hill? Again, we apply the principle of asking better questions to arrive at better answers and decisions. Here is one question: do I want to relive the same story I saw growing up, or do I want to live to tell a different and better story? When we relive the same stories, we become statistics. But when we choose to live to tell a better story, we become game-changers.
When we choose to live to tell a better story, we become game changers
Final Thought: When you face discomfort on your journey to your destiny, it is easy to look back and wish for times when things seemed more straightforward than what you are facing now. That’s a con designed to deter you from what you were made to do and tempt you to return to a lesser version of yourself. Don’t allow what’s behind you to keep you from pressing forward.
Keep on keeping on!
Discover Your Treasure 